


Superheros Never Run

by Musetotheworld



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Supercat Slam Fall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-17 13:16:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8145442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: Cat invites Kara along on the yearly trip up north to Carter's favorite pumpkin patch and vacation home.





	

Kara smiles when she hears familiar footsteps behind her, but doesn’t take her eyes off the scene in front of her. She can’t, not yet. Not when the colors call to her the way they do now, reminding her of worlds and times long gone.

“It’s cold out here,” Cat says softly as she comes up beside where Kara is sitting, wrapped in a blanket and carrying a mug of something that steams lightly in the early evening air. “You disappeared after dinner, is everything alright?”

Kara nods, not quite trusting herself to speak just yet. Everything is fine, but her memories are closer to the surface now than they’ve been in a long time. She doesn’t even know whether she can form English words, or whether Kryptonian will fall from her lips with an ease that denies the years since she’d last spoken it for more than a few sentences.

“Do I need to get you a blanket?” Cat presses gently, and Kara knows she hasn’t managed to convince her girlfriend that she’s really fine. And maybe it’s how well the older woman knows her now that gives her away, but regardless of _how_ she knows Kara feels thankful she has someone to look after her in moments like this.

“No, I’m fine _zrhueiao_ , you know I don’t feel the cold,” Kara reminds her, a Kryptonian endearment slipping out without conscious thought. It’s one Cat has head before at least, one she’ll recognize. And maybe that will explain more than Kara had intended, but she doesn’t really mind. She might not be ready to talk about the emotions running through her heart right now, but that doesn’t mean she wants to hide them. She just doesn’t have the words.

“Sometimes there’s more to a blanket than warmth,” Cat points out, settling next to Kara on the bench and taking a drink of the hot chocolate Kara can smell now. “I’ll leave you to the evening if I’m bothering you, but if you want some company, it’s a beautiful night.”

“You were just complaining it was cold,” Kara points out, not wanting to make her girlfriend feel obligated to stay. It’s easier to breathe properly now that there’s someone else on the balcony with her, but she can’t be selfish with Cat’s comfort. “I’ll only be another few minutes anyway, you don’t have to stay.”

“That’s what _my_ blanket is for,” Cat says lightly, leaning into Kara’s side with a soft sigh. “That and the space heater I’m in a relationship with. I’ll be fine, and obviously you need me.”

Kara doesn’t argue beyond that, just wraps an arm around Cat’s shoulders as she watches the sun continue to set over the forest. Maybe by the time the last rays of light are fading and she heads back inside she’ll be ready to talk about it. For now, she’s just grateful for Cat’s grounding presence at her side, the constant reminder that more than just a family and a place to belong on this world, she’s also found someone to love. For all that she’s lost; she’s gained just as much and more.

“Carter loved the pumpkin patch today,” she says instead, focusing on that positive for the moment. She can’t help loving Carter, and the way his face had lit up earlier had warmed her heart in a way she’d never known. A glance at Cat had proved her girlfriend was feeling the same, and had shown to Kara just how strong her feelings for the boy had become. Even if her relationship with Cat is still notably devoid of promises for the future, a caution shared by both women while they fully explore the relatively new dynamic between them, she has no such reservations when it comes to Carter. He may not be her child, and he may never see her as a parent, but she loves him more than she’d ever expected.

“He always does,” Cat says fondly, clearly lost in her own memories of the day. “We’ve been coming here for years, ever since he could walk. It’s private, and safe, and he loves the paths through the woods. The pumpkin patch is his favorite though; the farmer’s wife always makes him a special batch of hard candy after she learned he won’t eat the cookies she makes for the rest of the kids.”

“He’s like me then, give us the right sweets and we’ll love you forever,” Kara teases softly, stealing a sip of Cat’s hot chocolate before her girlfriend can react.

“I’d hope that you love me for more than just the food,” Cat teases back, leaning up to kiss the remnants of the drink from Kara’s lips. “Because while I’m very proud of my culinary skills, I do have quite a few other traits that are equally deserving of love.”

“You know I love you for every part of who you are,” Kara says seriously, wanting to reassure Cat yet again. They’ve each faced their own insecurities around the relationship, but occasionally doubts crop back up, and Kara doesn’t want that to happen tonight. “The chocolate does help though,” she adds before Cat can pretend to scoff at the turn the conversation had taken.

“Chocolate usually does,” Cat says with a small smile, and Kara can tell she’s holding back an eye roll by sheer force of will. “Speaking of, there _is_ a mug for you waiting inside, if you want your own rather than continuing to steal mine.”

A glance at the sun shows it’s almost fully set, and Kara stands to head inside without argument. She always loves watching the sunset, but she can never bring herself to watch the moment the star slips beneath the horizon and out of sight, leaving the world in darkness.

“Who could turn down an offer like that?” she asks with a smile to cover the sudden rush of memories, bending down slightly to pull Cat into her arms, knowing the resulting mock fight will be enough to distract her for now.

“What have I told you about manhandling me?” Cat demands as Kara carries her inside, her glare almost as piercing as Kara’s heat vision, though the way her lips are twitching gives her away.

“That if I ever do it again you’ll hide the Nutella for a week,” Kara recites as she heads towards the kitchen. “But you’ve never followed through, and half the time you end up staring at my biceps the entire time you’re complaining.” Every time Cat makes the threat they ignore the fact that Kara has a stash at her own apartment, ignore the fact that Kara hasn’t set foot inside it in more than once every few days practically since they’d started dating. She still hasn’t officially moved in despite the amount of time she spends at Cat’s, both content to let that fact pass without comment. It just is, and they’re both happy to let it stay that way.

“Are you questioning my sincerity?” Cat asks in a low voice, and Kara is suddenly thankful that one of her powers is the ability to fly, because if she were dependent on her knees at that moment, they might have been in trouble. Cat always knows when she needs a distraction, and exactly how to go about accomplishing that.

“Never,” Kara says immediately, looking down with an exaggerated look of sincerity that has Cat scoffing in response. “I learned a long time ago never to doubt anything about you.” It’s sweet and as over the top as her innocent expression, but Kara can’t resist.

“Set me down and drink your hot chocolate,” Cat says with a roll of her eyes, pretending she isn’t touched by the sentiment. “Honestly, Kara.” Her tone isn’t as annoyed as her words, so Kara knows it’s safe to push her luck a little more tonight.

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” she teases, picking up the mug waiting for her with a wink before taking a sip. It’s cooled slightly, but Kara doesn’t mind. It still tastes just as good to her, even if she won’t be able to melt marshmallows into it.

“Now that’s just showing off,” Cat sighs as Kara holds her effortlessly in one arm, making no move to free herself. Kara won’t admit it just yet, but she’s glad Cat isn’t demanding to be set down just yet. Feeling her this close is helping push the emotions from earlier back, leaving her once more on solid ground.

“Doesn’t Mom hate it when you do that?” Carter asks from behind them, making Kara laugh as Cat glares. “I’m not bailing you out of the doghouse when you’re banished to the couch for a week,” he continues when Cat’s glare doesn’t abate, though Kara can tell she still isn’t truly annoyed.

“I think I’m safe, it’s getting too cold for her to banish her space heater,” Kara jokes, knowing Carter has heard his mother describe her that way many times before, and so unafraid that her comment will be somehow emotionally scarring.

“Don’t think I won’t buy an electric blanket,” Cat warns, though Kara knows she’ll do no such thing. She’s always been irrationally worried about the wires catching fire, and that was _before_ the mess with Livewire. That particular fun fact had been one of many on a list of things Kara would have assumed an assistant had no reason to know about their boss before she’d worked at CatCo, and yet somehow she’d learned about the aversion and added it to her list of people and things to keep far away from Cat.

“I’m a better for cuddling,” is all she says in response, not about to bring up either of those facts tonight. Mentioning the cuddling is probably pushing her luck enough.

“Mom doesn’t cuddle, she just happens to share space with someone,” Carter joins the teasing, face carefully blank as he looks at them, though Kara can see the amusement in his eyes.

“Pretty sure that’s called cuddling,” Kara says, her attempt at keeping a straight face far less effective than Carter’s had been, earning an eye roll and sigh of exasperation from her girlfriend. Cat doesn’t demand to be put down again the way she usually would though, and Kara thinks maybe she’s realized how much she needs this.

“You’re on your own for that fight,” Carter says, his control breaking as his face stretches into a smile, winking at her as his mother shakes her head before he turns to head back to his room. “I’m gonna go read until bed.”

“A superhero never runs!” Kara yells after him, easily hearing his laughter as he shuts his door, smile playing across her face in response.

“And a superhero gets kicked through buildings on a regular basis,” Cat says dryly as she leans her head into Kara’s shoulder. “So forgive me for being glad my son has the good sense to avoid a path like that.”

“And here I thought you were proud of me,” Kara says with a pout, finishing her hot chocolate and heading for their bedroom, wanting to curl up with her girlfriend for a while before bed.

“Oh, I am darling, you know that. You’ve gotten better about it lately, your aim is improving,” Cat says before leaning up to kiss away the pout on Kara’s face, trusting that the younger woman won’t walk them into a wall even if distracted.

“I like to think it’s more my ability to avoid getting hit that’s improving,” Kara grumbles when the kiss ends, thinking back to the brief flashes of pain she’s felt during her fights. Super healing means they’re just that, sparks of pain that fade almost immediately, but they’re still not fun.

“And that ability is one of my many favorites,” Cat says as they settle onto the bed, curling into Kara’s side without an ounce of pretense. She may not willingly admit to cuddling, but it’s impossible to resist the lure of Kara’s comforting warmth and hold.

They lay there in silence for long moments, just holding one another, as Cat gives Kara room to think and Kara tries to put what she’s feeling now that their banter has faded into words. She wants to explain her earlier actions, she just doesn’t know how. It feels too important to risk stumbling over her explanation, for some reason she needs Cat to understand, even if Kara can’t quite manage that herself.

“How much do you remember about my descriptions of Krypton?” she starts, not sure where else she could. She hasn’t talked about her home planet much with Cat, with anyone really, but she’s mentioned it a few times in passing.

“Every word you’ve told me,” Cat says immediately, her grip tightening as she realizes the conversation is likely to end up very emotional. “I’ve written them down, every time. Nowhere they can be found or hacked, and nowhere anyone will find, but your memories deserve to be saved.” It’s a gesture that’s so very Cat that Kara can’t resist pulling her up slightly for a soft kiss, pouring her thanks and love into every brush of lips. Once she might have worried about Cat writing down what she’s told her, but that fear had vanished long before they started dating.

“I know I’ve mentioned our sun was red, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned just how much that color meant to us,” she says once the kiss ends, thinking back to the views from her childhood. “It wasn’t just Rao in the sky, it was the sky itself, the shades of the mountains around us, and the color of our most important halls.”

“And tonight’s sunset reminded you of that, didn’t it?” Cat’s voice is understanding, and Kara relaxes slightly. She shouldn’t be surprised that Cat knows her so well after their years of friendship and more recently dating, but somehow she is. But she’s also thankful, knows exactly how lucky she is to have this woman in her life, in her arms.

“Not just the sunset,” Kara explains softly, “everything. The shades of the leaves, the tint of the shadows, it was all so much closer to Krypton than anything else. I’ve always loved and hated fall for that, but it’s so much easier to see up here. The shadows from the trees fell like the shadows from the mountains I could see out my bedroom window as I went to sleep, the leaves looked like the crowds in the distance on one of our few holy days, everyone in shades of red and orange. I could almost see my mother turning to hurry me on so we wouldn’t be late.” The tears she’d only barely managed to chase away earlier are back, and she feels gentle hands wipe them away before she can find the strength to do so herself. Without a word Cat rearranges them so that Kara is cuddled into her side, wrapped securely in comforting arms.

She doesn’t try to stop her tears as they fall, doesn’t feel embarrassed by the show of weakness. She knows by now that Cat will never judge her for them, not here and not like this. Of all the changes and growth in their relationship over the past months, the ability to be open with each other is the greatest difference, and the one Kara appreciates most. Especially at times like this, when having Cat’s strength to lean on allows the tears to bring relief rather than an increase of grief.

Through it all Cat continues to carefully brush tears from her face, free hand running comfortingly through Kara’s hair in soothing motions. “Do you want to leave? Carter will be a little upset if we head back so early, but he’ll understand. If being here hurts you, he would rather leave than stay.” The understanding Kara had hoped for is clear in Cat’s voice, as is more love than she could have imagined even a few short months ago. That love gives her the strength to open her eyes, smiling up at her lover through the tears that are still slowly slipping down her face.

“I want to stay,” she says simply, letting her certainty shine through, knowing there is pain in her voice as well but not trying to hide it. “It hurts, but it’s a good pain. I spend so much time not letting myself really remember them, and that’s not fair to their memories.”

“You’ve mourned an entire world, Kara,” Cat says softly, as if she’s not sure she should remind her of that fact. “You’re allowed to have days when it’s too much to dwell on. Your actions on those days and every other honor those memories far more than you’d think.”

Kara just nods, not quite able to accept those words as the truth, but not wanting to fight. She’s put so much effort into being human that sometimes it seems she’s forgotten how to be Kryptonian, and times like this remind her of that fact with a force that nearly leaves her breathless. And she can tell Cat isn’t convinced, but she lets it drop in favor of pulling Kara closer into her side, her warm weight grounding and comforting the younger woman.

As they lay there, Kara continues to share stories of her past, wanting Cat to know. She tells her everything, from family dinners to religious beliefs, to embarrassing things she’d done in school. She’s never told anyone half of these stories, not even Alex, but she wants to share them now. Something about knowing Cat remembers everything she tells her, that she keeps a record of it, something about that makes Kara feel a need to share. If someone else knows, she isn’t the only one who remembers. It may not be the same, but someone else will share the memories of her home.

“I really am glad you invited me with you,” Kara says once the stories end and she has a grip on her emotions again. “I like spending time with you, and with Carter. And it’s beautiful up here, it really is.” She wants to say more, wants to maybe push the boundaries of their careful avoidance just enough to test the waters. Because while most of the time she knows it’s important to take this thing between them slowly, during moments like this she just wants to know she’ll always have this safety to return to. But the words freeze in her throat, buried by that ever present caution.

“I’m glad I invited you too,” Cat says softly, and the promise in her voice, however unspoken, is enough.


End file.
